WILLIE MILLER has hailed the regular return of the Auld Enemy clash because he knows the fixture is always far more than just a friendly.

The Aberdeen legend relished going up against England in his heydays of the 1980s when the Scots gave as good as they got on both sides of the Border.

The teams met at Wembley in the summer but it’s been 15 years since the English last came north – when they beat Craig Brown’s side in the Euro 2000 play-off – and Miller believes the proposed game in November is not before time.

In his day the nations squared up every other year and he insists his first battle with England was the making of a famous defensive partnership between him and Alex McLeish.

And he reckons the current crop of Scotland stars can benefit just as much as he did.

Miller said: “It’s encouraging to see the fixture back again so soon. I would love to see it played on a regular basis if it can be fitted into the calendar.

“It’s difficult these days but it is a great chance to test yourself against world-class players and there is the added sense of rivalry you don’t get in a normal friendly.

“I was fortunate to beat them at Hampden and Wembley over the years and those occasions stick with you. The 1981 one launched the careers of guys like my self and big Alex McLeish.

“It helped us get a bit of a reputation that we were not bad players after going up against the likes of Trevor Francis, who was the £1million man back then, and Tony Woodcock, who was in Germany at the time.

“It helped myself and the big man establish ourselves at international level.

“Previous to that game we were seen as the hicks from the sticks but by keeping England out it showed Jock Stein that he could pick non-Old Firm players and they could do a job for the country.

“These games can be the making of players because they are not normal friendlies. They’re huge games.

“Times have changed but it still applies now. England are a top name in world football and a regular at championships.

“Games against top opposition can be hugely beneficial for Gordon Strachan to see how certain players handle it.”

Miller reckoned the clash always meant more to the Scots – because the English have always looked down on us and our league.

He said: “England always looked upon us as inferior. That’s not changed and if anything it’s a belief that’s grown over the years. It meant whether it was us going down to Wembley of them coming up here, you always wanted to beat them.

“Back when I played the English game was dominated by English players and there was a lot of Anglos as well.

“It was a special fixture for those guys because they were the ones who wanted to go back in those dressing rooms with the bragging rights.

“The Scottish lads down south took it seriously – but so did the English. For us home-based players it was a chance to test ourselves against some of the best players in the world.

“Back then or now, Scotland is always the underdog. Even when we had Graeme Souness and Kenny Dalglish, England expected to beat us. That suited us just fine, it made sure we were up for it.”

Miller has been thrilled with the job his old Dons teammate Strachan, right, is doing with Scotland.

Not so long again the nation would have looked forward to an Auld Enemy clash with as much enthusiasm as visiting a back-street dentist.

But a winning end to the World Cup qualifiers and a spirited showing against England in the 3-2 loss at Wembley has the country buzzing.

The Euro qualifiers cannot come quick enough and Miller is convinced there are plenty of grounds for optimism.

He said: “I was down for the last game at Wembley and I thought we did well. The result went against us but the performance was excellent. Gordon has got the team playing with confidence and there is a lot of positivity.

“He’s got a team structure which is working for us and the results that he has managed to conjure up have been exceptional.

“The performances have been very good but even when they have not been so good he’s still managed to get positive results and that’s a more than decent formula.

“Hopefully it can continue into the qualifiers. There is every reason for us to go into them believing we can do well and that Gordon can take us to the finals.”